Content Advisory: This article discusses human trafficking, sexual exploitation, violence, abuse, substance dependency and trauma. It is intended for awareness and educational purposes and does not glorify or sensationalise exploitation.
Walk down one of Delhi’s busiest old-city roads and, at first glance, GB Road may look like another crowded commercial stretch.
Shops. Traffic. People rushing past. Hardware and automobile businesses. The constant noise of Old Delhi.
But above some of those shops is another world.
This is GB Road Delhi, officially known as Swami Shradhanand Marg and historically referred to as Garstin Bastion Road. It is widely known as Delhi’s main red-light district. The road runs through the old city between Ajmeri Gate and Lahori Gate.
Yet describing GB Road simply as a “red-light area” misses the most important part of the story.
Behind many of the doors are women whose lives have been shaped by poverty, trafficking, coercion, violence, addiction, social rejection, and years of exploitation.
That is the reality this Supertalks conversation with social activist Geetanjali Babbar attempts to confront.
And perhaps the most uncomfortable question is not what happens on GB Road.
It is:
How did so many people become trapped there in the first place?
What Is GB Road in Delhi?
GB Road is one of Delhi’s most well-known red-light areas, located in the old city between Ajmeri Gate and Lahori Gate. The road is officially known as Swami Shradhanand Marg and has a long, complicated history connected to Delhi’s changing urban and social landscape.
The area is unusual because its commercial identity exists on two levels.
At street level, it is a busy market.
Above it, brothel establishments have historically operated in multi-storey buildings. Reporting on the area has described shops occupying the lower floors while brothels operate above them.
This physical separation creates an uncomfortable contrast.
Thousands of people can pass through the area during the day without necessarily seeing or understanding what is happening above them.
But even the term “red-light district” can oversimplify the people living there.
Because not every woman inside such an environment arrived there by choice.
And that distinction matters.
The GB Road Story Is Also a Human Trafficking Story
One of the most important points emerging from the Supertalks conversation is that the story of GB Road cannot be separated from human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
According to Geetanjali Babbar’s account in the podcast, many women arrive through circumstances involving kidnapping, deception, fake employment opportunities or false marriages.
The journey can begin far away from Delhi.
A girl may be told that she is going to the city for work.
A family may believe she is being offered a legitimate opportunity.
Someone she knows may convince her that a better life awaits.
Then she arrives in an unfamiliar city and discovers that the promise was a lie.
The podcast recounts the case of a woman who was reportedly kept in a separate room for months to learn Hindi before being taken to GB Road under the pretext of visiting a temple and sold to someone from her own village.
This is why the phrase “Why doesn’t she just leave?” is so misleading.
Before asking why someone cannot leave, we need to understand how they were trapped.
How Does a Girl Become Trapped on GB Road?
The process described in the podcast is not necessarily a single moment.
It can be a progression.
Deception → isolation → violence → psychological conditioning → exploitation → financial dependence → fear of escape.
Geetanjali describes how newly trafficked girls may initially refuse to serve clients. According to her account, brothel owners can use confinement, starvation and violence to break down that resistance. After months of conditioning, older workers may train them to interact with clients and navigate the environment.
The important point is that coercion does not always look like a locked door.
Sometimes it becomes psychological.
Sometimes it is financial.
Sometimes it is the threat of violence.
Sometimes it is the absence of anywhere safe to go.
And sometimes it is the fear that the family they left behind will never accept them again.
Why Can’t Women Simply Leave GB Road?
This may be the most misunderstood part of the entire conversation.
From the outside, leaving can look simple:
Walk out. Find a job. Start again.
But the reality described by Babbar is far more complicated.
The podcast discusses women who may have their identity documents or financial information controlled by others. It also describes family pressure, social rejection, and economic dependence as barriers to starting another life.
Imagine trying to rebuild your life when you have:
- Little or no formal education
- No independent income
- No safe place to stay
- No documents under your control
- Children depending on you
- Years of psychological trauma
- Fear of the people who controlled you
- Fear of being rejected by your own family
- Few employment opportunities
Leaving a building does not automatically mean escaping the system.
That is one of the biggest lessons from the podcast.
Violence Is Part of the Reality Few Outsiders See
The conversation also goes far beyond economic exploitation.
It discusses violence against women inside the system.
Babbar recounts the killing of a worker after an argument with a customer and describes an environment where some women face severe physical aggression. The podcast also discusses how violence can be used during the initial conditioning of trafficked girls.
These stories challenge another common misconception.
The reality of exploitation is not simply about money changing hands.
For some women, the environment involves fear, physical violence, coercion, and the constant threat of harm.
That distinction is essential when discussing GB Road responsibly.
The Health Crisis Behind the Doors
Years of exploitation can also have devastating consequences for physical and mental health.
In the Supertalks episode, Gitanjali Babbar describes workers experiencing chronic pain, weak bones, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections. She also discusses alcohol dependency and the difficulty some women face when trying to access trustworthy healthcare.
But physical health is only one part of the crisis.
The psychological damage can be equally severe.
The podcast recounts the story of a woman trafficked as a young teenager who experienced prolonged abuse and later developed severe depression. Her story illustrates how trauma can continue long after the original act of violence.
This is why any meaningful response to human trafficking needs more than a police raid.
It needs healthcare.
It needs mental-health support.
It needs safe housing.
It needs education.
And, ultimately, it needs a realistic path towards financial independence.
What Happens to Women Who Grow Older on GB Road?
One of the most disturbing aspects of the podcast is the long-term nature of the problem.
For some women, GB Road is not a temporary chapter.
It becomes their entire adult life.
Babbar describes women who have spent decades there and explains how some older women eventually become managers, brokers or brothel owners themselves.
This creates a cycle.
A woman who was once exploited can eventually become part of the system that exploits others.
That does not erase what happened to her.
Instead, it shows how difficult it can be to break a system when people have no other viable way to survive.
What About the Children Growing Up Around GB Road?
The consequences of exploitation do not necessarily end with the woman herself.
Children can grow up surrounded by the same environment.
The podcast discusses motherhood, children, and the emotional importance of having a child in a world where genuine personal relationships may be difficult to find. It also highlights the barriers faced by women trying to create a different future for themselves and their children.
This is where the conversation becomes bigger than GB Road.
It becomes a question about generational cycles.
If a child grows up without education, stable housing, financial security, and social acceptance, the circumstances that trapped one generation can potentially affect the next.
That is why education and rehabilitation matter.
GB Road Is Not the Whole Story of Human Trafficking
There is another important point to understand.
GB Road may be one of the most recognisable locations associated with commercial sexual exploitation in Delhi, but human trafficking is much bigger than one road.
Trafficking networks can operate across cities, states and communities.
Research and reporting on trafficking have documented cases where women and girls were lured from other parts of India through promises of employment, marriage or better opportunities. One reported Delhi case, for example, involved minors allegedly brought from several states and Nepal through promises including jobs and marriage.
Organisations working with women at GB Road have also described trafficking as a continuing concern and highlighted the challenges around identity, rehabilitation and children living in the area.
So focusing only on the buildings on GB Road can make us miss the larger system.
The road is one visible destination.
The pipeline that brings vulnerable people there can begin somewhere else entirely.
Why Simply Closing GB Road Isn’t the Answer
If exploitation is the problem, it may seem logical to simply shut down the area.
But what happens next?
Where do the women go?
How do they earn?
Where do their children live?
Who provides healthcare?
Who replaces the identity documents they may not control?
Who provides counselling?
Who helps them learn skills?
Who protects them from being trafficked again?
These questions matter because removing the physical location does not automatically remove the conditions that created exploitation.
The podcast argues for long-term rehabilitation, trauma recovery and livelihood support rather than treating the issue as something that can be solved through raids or closure alone.
There are already examples of rehabilitation-focused initiatives around GB Road. For instance, Delhi Police introduced a “pink booth” near the area that included facilities for complaints as well as skill development such as sewing and computer training.
The larger lesson is simple:
People need somewhere to go after they leave.
GB Road Is Not Just a Place. It Is a System.
Perhaps the biggest mistake we can make is to reduce GB Road to a location on a map.
It is easy to point at a road.
It is harder to ask why someone ended up there.
It is easy to judge a woman standing behind a window.
It is harder to ask who brought her there, who controls her money, whether she can leave and what would happen if she did.
It is easy to demand that the buildings disappear.
It is harder to build the education, healthcare, employment and rehabilitation systems required to make leaving possible.
That is the conversation India needs to have.
The People Inside GB Road Are More Than a Label
One of the most powerful ideas in the Supertalks episode is the need to separate the person from the system that exploited them.
A woman who has been trafficked is not the crime.
A trafficking survivor is not a criminal because someone else exploited her.
A child born into a brothel did not choose the circumstances of their birth.
And a woman who has spent years inside GB Road cannot be understood through a single label.
She has a history.
She may have children.
She may have dreams.
She may want an education.
She may want another job.
She may simply want control over her own life.
That is why awareness matters.
Not voyeurism.
Not sensationalism.
Not judgment.
Awareness.
What Can Actually Change the Reality of GB Road?
There is no single solution.
But the conversation points towards several areas that matter:
1. Identify trafficking earlier
False employment offers, fake marriages, and deception need to be recognised before vulnerable women reach exploitative environments.
2. Protect survivors
Women leaving exploitation need safety, documentation, healthcare and legal support.
3. Provide livelihoods
A woman cannot realistically leave exploitation if leaving means having no way to feed herself or her children.
4. Invest in education
Education can give children growing up around exploitation opportunities that their parents may never have had.
5. Treat trauma
Physical rescue without psychological recovery can leave survivors struggling long after they leave.
6. Change public attitudes
Survivors should not have to choose between exploitation and social rejection.
The goal should not simply be to remove women from a location.
The goal should be to give them a life they can actually choose.
Frequently Asked Questions About GB Road Delhi
What is GB Road in Delhi?
GB Road, officially known as Swami Shradhanand Marg, is a historic road in central Delhi’s old city area and is widely known as the city’s main red-light district. It runs between Ajmeri Gate and Lahori Gate.
Why is GB Road famous?
GB Road is known for both its commercial market and its long association with the red-light trade. The area has become one of the most recognisable locations in Delhi associated with commercial sexual exploitation.
Is everyone on GB Road a trafficking victim?
It would be inaccurate to make a blanket claim about every individual. However, the Supertalks conversation focuses heavily on trafficking, coercion and exploitation, while organisations working in the area have also documented trafficking-related concerns.
Why don’t women simply leave GB Road?
Leaving can be complicated by violence, fear, financial dependence, family rejection, lack of documents, children, and limited livelihood opportunities. These barriers are discussed extensively in the Supertalks conversation.
Is human trafficking the same as sex work?
No. They are not the same thing. Human trafficking involves exploitation and coercion, while the legal and social questions surrounding consensual adult sex work are different. India’s legal framework distinguishes between consensual adult sex work and activities such as trafficking and brothel-related offences.
Can closing GB Road end human trafficking?
Not by itself. Closing or raiding establishments does not automatically address the poverty, trafficking networks, trauma, lack of livelihood, and social barriers that can keep survivors trapped. Long-term rehabilitation is therefore an important part of any broader response.
Final Thought
Most people know GB Road Delhi as a name.
Some know it as a red-light area.
Very few stop to ask what happens to the people behind those doors.
The Supertalks conversation with Geetanjali Babbar forces us to look beyond the road itself.
Because the uncomfortable truth is that exploitation does not begin when a woman enters a room on GB Road.
Sometimes it begins much earlier—with poverty, deception, a fake job, a false promise, a trusted person, or a family that has run out of choices.
And escaping it requires much more than opening a door.
It requires giving someone a genuine reason to believe that there is a life waiting for them on the other side.
Disclaimer: This article is based primarily on the Supertalks conversation with Geetanjali Babbar and is intended for public awareness and education. Individual stories and experiences discussed in the podcast are presented as accounts shared during the conversation and should not be interpreted as representative of every person working or living in GB Road. The article does not glorify, promote or sensationalise sexual exploitation or human trafficking.
For urgent cases involving children or suspected trafficking in India, readers should contact the appropriate emergency, child-protection or law-enforcement authorities.
